His Goblin Queen
by Mod Fae
Summary: The Goblin King misses Sarah, the mortal intended to be his Queen, and attempts to win her back. But Sarah has an agenda of her own. Jareth/Sarah.
1. The kingdom without it's queen

It was late one night in a dark tall castle. The castle was unkempt and a disarray, but he liked it to be like that. All the inhabitants of the castle had fallen asleep, even the guards on duty. In his chambers the owner of this castle, and the ruler of the surrounding lands, tossed and turned in his large bed. His blonde hair was a mess, more than usual and the bed covers were wrapped around the lower half of his body. Once again he was dreaming of her. His plan to make her his queen had been flawless, until she started things too soon.

She had been younger than he had originally intended. He had picked her out for his bride when she was just a baby. And as the time moved differently in his world, he wouldn't have long to wait until she was old enough. But, then she wished her half-brother away, and very soon after regretted it. He couldn't do anything about it, a deal was a deal, but he forged another deal so she could try to rescue her brother. On her adventures to save her brother, she grew to hate the one man who cared for her. He tried everything, but sadly, he wasn't able to win her heart. She had eventually beaten him. She never knew, how he adored her, he saw her for the woman she would become, the queen she could be.

Not long after she had gone home, he tried to reach out to her, make things right. The way they should have been. But she had put up blocks; she had given up living in a world of fantasy and magic. He had no power over her. Now he only saw her in his unrestful dreams. Smiling, beautiful, and now grown-up. He tried in the dream world to bring her back to him. But even there she was unreachable. She moved too fast for him, he couldn't grab her, pull her into her arms, he couldn't talk to her either. He would call out her name, "Sarah! Sarah! Come back to the Goblin City and to me Sarah!" but she never turned her head at his call.

He awoke in a sweat, all the tossing and turned and the confining blankets made him hot and unable to sleep anymore. Getting up from his bed he strode around before leaving his chambers for his throne room. The guards that her to guard the doors to his throne room were asleep. Scowling he walked over to them and kicked them both waking them. "How many times have you been told to stay awake while on duty?" he barked at them.

The two goblin guards shrank back, "Many times Your Majesty," one replied.

"Go and wake the rest of the guards that are on duty, for I am sure none of them are awake," the Goblin King told his guards, knowing his subjects well.

The guards nodded and ran out to go wake the other sleeping guards. Rubbing his head and sighing the Goblin King sat onto his throne. He needed to find someone to talk to about this, but who could he admit his failure to? And who would also understand his love of Sarah? He remembered her friends that had helped her defeat his army. They had known that what they did gained them no favor with the Goblin King but they had helped her anyways. They had seen what he had seen in her and could not help but give her everything she wanted. He could not 

blame them for this, and they had all received only a slap on the wrist for their treason and it had been forgotten.

Getting up from his throne determined to find one of the three that had helped her, he made his way to The Bog of Eternal Stench. He knew he would find at least one there. He did hate the smell and it was his least favorite part of his domain, but he had gone through worse in his battle for her love. Reaching the Bog was not hard at all, as the Goblin King could transport himself to anyplace of his vast kingdom at any time he liked. Pinching his nose he made for the bridge that Sir Didymus guarded with his life. Didymus and Hoggle, the prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench now, were both on the bridge conversing. The Goblin King was glad one of his many guards actually took their job seriously. He had asked Didymus to come to his castle and run his army there, but Didymus preferred his post in The Bog of Eternal Stench and had kindly declined.

The Goblin King, stayed back and listened to their conversation, curious as to why they would be together so late at night.

"My Lady hath not requested my company in such a long time, and I begin to fear, Prince Hoggle, that she will not," Sir Didymus said to his companion.

"Don't call me, 'Prince Hoggle', I hate that. I hate this Bog," Hoggle grumbled "And Sarah hasn't called for me either, it's been years since I last saw her and I don't think she remembers us."

"Of course My Lady still remembers us, Prince Hoggle-" "Don't call me prince!" "She would never forget her loyal friends!" Didymus insisted.

"I don't know, has Ludo heard from her at all?" Hoggle asked.

"Sir Ludo hath not, dear Prince-" "I said-" "That is why I thought to talk with you about My Lady, she was closest to you."

"Well she sure does show it, doesn't she?" Hoggle grunted.

"Do not fear, I'm sure My Lady is just busy," Didymus said defending Sarah's name and memory.

"Huh." Was all Hoggle said before getting up and leaving for his small home in the Bog.

That was all The Goblin King needed. Returning to his castle, beyond the Goblin City, he pulled out one of his crystal orbs. He knew that if Sarah had not visited her friend's in a long time that she had either forgotten all about her adventures in his labyrinth or that she had convinced herself it was nothing more than a dream. Either way there might be a way for him to reach her now.

Staring into his crystal, the image of Sarah began to focus. She was sitting on a large chair in a small apartment where she lived by herself. The TV was on but she was not watching it, she stared off at her window. She seemed sad and contemplative. Her shoes were off and she had her feet tucked up underneath herself, making herself appear small and younger. She was older than when she had been to his labyrinth, in her mid-twenties. She got up slowly from her seat and walked over to her window and looked out. She seemed to be looking for something in particular. She took a breath, about to say something extremely draining. She looked around and whispered "Jareth" to her empty apartment.

That was all he needed to be able to cross that border.


	2. Sarah returns

**A.N.: Thought I should mention, even though it's assumed, I don't own Labyrinth. I wasn't even alive when it was made. Also, I noticed the format craps out on widescreen monitors. I suggest viewing it with 1/2 width. Sorry, I'll try to make this my last Author's note, but it had to be said.**

In the form of a barn owl, Jareth flew through the skies of the mortal world. He enjoyed his barn owl form and had little reason to use it in his kingdom. Diving down, he made for Sarah's apartment. He didn't know what had made her say his name. For all he knew she could still hate him, more than ever and was tormented by his very memory. But he had witnessed her speak his name, which granted him the access he needed to her. Whatever her reason for saying his name, he could at least try to bring the older and wiser Sarah home as his bride.

He landed in a tree outside the window she had been looking out of. Sarah was no longer at the window, she had gone back to her chair, but had turned off the TV she hadn't been watching. Her eyes were growing tired and she yawned. Jareth waited, thinking of how to woo her, in a way that would be successful this time. Stretching, Sarah began to get up from her chair and head to her bedroom. Not wanting to risk having her falling asleep while he contemplated, Jareth made his move. Flying towards to window he perched on the window sill and tapped on the window with his owl beak.

Sarah turned towards the window, her eyes widened when she saw what had made the noise. Moving cautiously towards the window she slowly crossed the distance between herself and the window. She looked at him in disbelief. It was then Jareth knew that she hadn't forgotten him or his kingdom. She stopped a foot or two in front of the window. Reaching slowly, she touched the glass lightly, as if to see if it was real or not. Then, with a determined look in her eye she threw open the window.

Jareth flew into the apartment and transformed out of his owl shape, he appeared sitting on Sarah's chair. "Hello Sarah," he said with a smile that didn't show the full extent of his joy.

Sarah didn't respond to his greeting, she just stared at him with her jaw locked. Obviously all had not been forgiven and she still kept a bit of her old arrogant self.

"Not angry with me for coming, now are you Sarah? After all, you did invite me," Jareth said standing up from the chair and walking towards Sarah. "and you could only invite me by wanting me to be here." He stopped just inches from touching her. He looked down at her.

Sarah swallowed and took a step backwards, putting space between them. "I'm afraid that I did not invite you for the reason you think," She said looking up at him, eyes flashing. "It's just…the labyrinth won't let me back in to see my friends…" she said slowly.

"Ah, so you need me to get back in? You shouldn't have stopped inviting your friends to see you, with less and less use my labyrinth is grows harder to return to," he replied realizing that it wasn't him that she wanted; it was entry to his kingdom. He could work with this though.

"I couldn't very well have them running around my dorm while I was at college could I?" Sarah barked angrily. She hadn't wanted the labyrinth to keep her out, it just happened.

"The only way for you to get back is for me to want you to return," Jareth said "But why would I want you back in my kingdom."

"You used to be enthralled by me," Sarah said looking straight at Jareth's eyes.

"I think I've changed my mind," Jareth started to toy with Sarah.

They stood looking at each other in silence, a battle of wills. The tension hung thick in the air. The seconds felt like minutes and a minute felt like an hour. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Sarah broke the silence. "If you changed your mind, why did you come?"

Jareth laughed loudly. "Ah Sarah," he said looking her over, "I'm afraid the last time I did something for you, you didn't like it. And I did do so much for you." Before Sarah could reply he continued. "But, I am as you say 'enthralled' by you, so I can't really deny what you ask for. But there is a condition. I will let you back into my kingdom, but while you are visiting my lands you must reside at my palace."

Sarah looked to the side, thinking about Jareth's offer. "You can go wherever you like in my kingdom, have unlimited access, any time you wish to be there, you'll be there. All I ask is that you stay in my castle," he would promise anything to her if she'd only ask for it. Looking back up at Jareth, Sarah opened her mouth to speak, Jareth's heart was in his throat, hoping she would agree.

"But can I return home whenever I want?" Sarah asked.

"What- to the mortal world? Well, if you really wish, although I wouldn't know why you would want to," he replied, thankful she hadn't said no yet.

"How do I know you won't go back on your word?"

"Sarah, Sarah, always untrusting. When did I ever lie to you?"

Jareth could see Sarah thinking about it; after all, he never did lie to her. He may have played dirty a few times, but he was true to his word.

"Fine, I guess I accept," she said conceding.

"So we are agreed?" Jareth asked before whisking them back to his kingdom immediately. Sarah did have a history of regretting her wishes and getting mad at the one who was giving her what she asked for.

"We are agreed," Sarah said decidedly.

"Then I welcome you to my castle," Jareth said as he and Sarah entered his throne room. Finally he had her the way it was supposed to be. Maybe she wasn't too keen on the idea of being his queen yet. But she would warm up. Yes, Sarah would.


	3. Of obstinance and exhaustion

The guards to the throne room had not returned, they had probably fallen asleep on a stairway, on their way to wake the rest of the guards as Jareth had ordered. Sarah stifled a yawn; it had been late in her world. Yet it was almost dawn in the labyrinth. Jareth's subjects wouldn't be up for a good while yet. "I suppose you wouldn't care to go find your friends just yet?" Jareth said as Sarah yawned once more.

"No, I should get some sleep," Sarah looked around the empty throne room "Do you have any servants that can show me a room?"

"Ah, my servants. Yes, I do have servants, don't be fooled, but I'm afraid you won't find any of them awake at the moment. So if you'll follow me to your room," Jareth said as he started for the door.

"Wait," Sarah said, not moving to follow "I… I would rather you didn't know where I was staying."

"I'll know even if I don't show you, it is my castle after all," Jareth frowned, why Sarah had to be so silly and difficult was beyond him.

Sarah still didn't make a move to follow Jareth and just crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

Jareth tried not to grit his teeth. He had to be as pleasant and as accommodating as possible, otherwise he would lose her again. The problem was, none of the goblins of the castle were awake and none would wake up long enough to remember which rooms are open and clean, and be able to guide Sarah there. That wasn't actually true though, Jareth was just lying to himself that his goblins were more incompetent than they really were. In truth he could easily find someone to find a room for Sarah, and the goblin could do it half asleep. But Jareth couldn't bare they idea of parting with Sarah so soon. Sarah yawned again, her eyes began to droop. But she didn't give in.

"What if I was to show you a whole wing of my castle, you could take your pick of rooms from that but I wouldn't be giving you a specific room," he said after a short pause to think of a solution to this problem.

"All right," Sarah said in-between yawns. She was terribly sleepy.

Jareth led Sarah into his hall of stairs, the one that they met in right before she was able to defeat him and return home. Weaving his way through the hall, a feat that could only be accomplished if one had spent many hours traipsing through the hall, which everyone residing in the castle had to do as the hall connected the whole castle together.

Finally finding the right entrance, Jareth and Sarah stepped through an entryway to a large wing of the castle. "This is my south wing," Jareth said gesturing to it "There are thirteen bedrooms, two libraries, eight bathhouses, and several other chambers in here. It is large and would be very hard to find you in here." Sarah nodded too tired to comment on the size of his castle. "Each room has a bell for servants, ring that if you need anything in the morning and they will assist you in anything you need."

"Thank you," Sarah said as she began to walk down the hallway in search of a room to sleep in.

"Goodnight Sarah." Jareth said softly; quiet enough for her not to hear, before turning and walking back into the stair hall.

He walked slowly in quiet contemplation heading in the general area of his chambers but not hurrying despite his extreme fatigue. He couldn't believe that after such a long time of waiting, she was finally here. Here in his castle, within his grasp. All he had to do was enchant her like he had before, and get her to trust him. If she hadn't messed everything up with wishing away her brother, Jareth was sure she would have agreed readily to be his queen. But she had to have put Jareth in the villain role. He had tried to live up to all her expectations of that role, but found that while he made a successful villain in her eyes, he did not receive the love he hoped for.

As long as he didn't fulfill that role again he was sure things would work out the way they had been meant to. With Sarah as his wife and queen. Jareth considered things he could give her or do for her later that day to make her re-think her impression of him. Yawning himself, he opened the door to his chambers and laid down on his bed. He was too tired to bother removing shoes or other such bothersome things. He found for the first time since she left his kingdom the first time that he was able to sleep. A long, deep, and very restful sleep.

As with every time he slept he dreamt of Sarah, only this time, it wasn't of her back turned towards him walking away. She was there by his side, eyes filled with an adoring gaze. And for the first time in his dreams, he was able to touch her. Run his fingers through her long, beautiful black hair. Hold her in his arms, her head resting on his chest. They danced, picnicked, ruled his kingdom, and many other activities that Jareth would later forget he dreamed about. She was finally his in the dream world.

If only she would be his in his world.


	4. Waking in the labyrinth

Jareth awoke later in the day to one of his goblins knocking on his door. "Yes?" Jareth answered getting up from his bed.

The goblin slowly opened the door. "There's a sleeping girl that we found in a room in the south wing of the castle. Should we throw her in the dungeon?" it asked hopefully.

"Don't be ridiculous, she's my guest and you will all treat her as such."

The goblin nodded and scurried away muttering under his breath that 'We could use more screaming from the dungeons.'

Jareth rubbed his head and closed his door, which the goblin had un-courteously left open. He turned to his wardrobe to pick out his outfit for the day while thinking of a way to impress Sarah. He thought of his dream last night. Hadn't he and Sarah gone picnicking? That 

was strange, Jareth didn't picnic. Then he thought more of the surrounding area. It had been a walled up garden, hadn't it? At least, he remembered it as such.

Throwing on some clothes he made his way through his castle. A few goblins tried to stop him on his way out but he wouldn't stop for them, no matter what they said.

"What should we do about the girl?"

"Would you like your lunch, or breakfast now?"

"A couple of faeries have been causing trouble at the entrance of the labyrinth…"

"Should we paint the dungeons pink-grey or purple-grey?"

He didn't waver for one second, he ignored them completely, and walked right outside the doors of the castle. The goblins, seeing that they weren't going to get any answers from Jareth right now, went back to whatever task they had been busy with before Jareth had walked by.

Once outside, Jareth pulled out one of his crystals and looked in on Sarah. Sarah was asleep still. Her black hair spilling over the pillows she rested on. She had kept on the clothes she had worn last night, and laid down on top of the blankets, whether it was because her room had been too warm for her, or she had been too tired to care.

Smiling to himself, he put his crystal away in a pocket and walked around his castle. He trekked around his castle for a ways before he found the right spot. Using his power over the Labyrinth, he began to shape it into what he wanted.

--

Sarah woke up a good while after Jareth was up. She stretched and got up from the bed she had been sleeping in. Taking a second to look around the room, as if trying to remember where she was, she went and rang the bell Jareth had mentioned last night. A goblin came running in her room just two seconds after she rang the bell, for a good amount of goblins were in the hallway at that moment, curious of the visitor that Jareth hadn't told them to expect.

The little goblin curtseyed, remembering her manners around a guest. "Can I help you?" she asked in what a goblin would presume to be a sweet voice.

"Yes, um, do you have any clothes that would fit me? I came here wearing my pajamas and, well, I'd like something a bit nicer looking," Sarah said to the goblin.

Curtseying quickly the goblin left only to return with two faeries. The faeries moved around quickly, taking measurements of Sarah. "They're bothersome, but they are the quickest sewers," the goblin explained.

"I don't need anything new…" Sarah started to protest, but the faeries were already done and leaving the room, the goblin following close. "Wait," Sarah called out to the goblin, "I wanted to be able to leave this room dressed, pretty quickly."

"It will be quick," the goblin assured Sarah "Would you like some lunch?"

"Lunch? Isn't it too early for lunch?" Sarah asked.

"No, but if you would like breakfast we can make that too," the goblin said waiting for Sarah's orders.

"I'll have breakfast," Sarah said decidedly.

The goblin left quickly, forgetting to curtsey, but lucky for her Jareth wasn't watching.

Sarah sat down onto the bed she had slept in last night and waited for the goblin to return with some food.

To Sarah's surprise the faeries returned first. They brought in a long flowing dress, medieval style, with a square neck and bell sleeves, reminiscent of the dress she wore the day she wished Toby away. It was a dusky blue with matching slippers, and made of something resembling silk, but finer to the touch. The faeries left the dress and slippers on the bed and flew out.

Sarah quickly stripped herself of her pajamas and put on the dress; underneath the dress she noticed there were also undergarments. She quickly finished putting the rest of her outfit on. Sarah stood there for a moment, marveling at the handiwork of something that was made so fast.

A little later Sarah's breakfast was brought to her and she ate it. She stayed in the room for a good while, doing a lot of nothing until she decided it was time to leave her room.

Sarah walked around the castle, looking around at different things that interested her. The whole time a group of curious goblins followed and watched her every move, but ducked around the corner when she turned in their direction. All except the goblin, who had been serving Sarah earlier, who Sarah had asked to accompany her. Sarah tried to start a conversation with the goblin but got nowhere with her. All she learned was that the 

goblin was named Kadri; other than that Kadri remained silent, or answered in one word replies.

Eventually, Sarah made her way out of the south wing and into the hall of stairs. Looking around at the entrance she was visibly confused. "How do I get out of the castle from here?" she asked Kadri.

"Follow me," Kadri replied and led Sarah through the maze of stairs to the throne room.

Sarah thanked Kadri and left the throne room, making her way out of the castle.


	5. Distrust of a king

Jareth sat down on the ground and wiped his forehead. Reshaping the labyrinth takes a lot out of a person. He was mentally, and physically tired and his magic was strained. Taking a deep breath, soaking up the magic of the labyrinth, he regained his composer. Reaching into a pocket he retrieved a crystal, focusing he checked in on Sarah.

Sarah was no longer in the castle, she was just outside the Goblin City. Most likely looking for old friends, Jareth thought to himself. Sarah, unfortunately had no idea where to go, Jareth was sure she suspected where her friends would be, he pondered the thought of offering to take her to them himself. But, that would be too easy; besides, he didn't want her running off with her friends just yet.

Still, Jareth didn't make a move to stop her, to try to bring her back to the castle. Why, wasn't he rushing off? He wondered to himself. He suddenly began to doubt himself, which was not something Jareth did often. Why would Sarah so readily agree to return to the labyrinth? Why would she choose to call on him rather than finding another way in? He was sure she could have found another way. Why bring him into this? Didn't she hate him after what had happened?

Jareth quickly overcame his doubts about Sarah. He would just have to let things play out. Drawing on the labyrinth's power he shifted it, so he was behind Sarah as she walked towards where she thought her friends would be.

"Didn't even bid your host farewell Sarah? That's not good manners!" he said leaning against the wall behind her.

Sarah turned quickly, the look on her face showed that she wasn't expecting Jareth to follow her.

Taking a second to gather herself she replied, "I didn't realize I had to check out with you every time I wanted to leave."

"Did I say that? No, I said you didn't say goodbye to you generous and hospitable host. You are a guest. But then, I forget that mortals are not as courteous as they should be," Jareth replied while playing with a crystal in his hand.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, "Are you calling me rude?" she asked.

"Well, you had the whole South Wing to yourself, my servants made you brand new clothes and food when requested, and you leave without a note, a goodbye, or a thank you. If you think, Sarah, that I am calling you rude, it's only because of what your actions have shown, I never did say the word 'rude'," Jareth kept his cool even though Sarah was making him very frustrated.

"I don't owe you anything," Sarah said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't you?" Jareth asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Sarah raised her chin and looked Jareth straight in the eyes "No," she said before turning sharply on her heel and stomping away from him.

Jareth waited a few moments before putting himself in Sarah's path.

"Still acting like a young, ungracious teenager, Sarah? I guess some of us never outgrow that," he said calmly as Sarah almost ran into him.

Sarah took a few steps back from Jareth. "What do you want?" she asked, gritting her teeth at his comment.

"If you must know, I was going to give you a gift. But I don't think you'll want it," Jareth looked at his gloved hands casually, as if he didn't care what Sarah had to say.

"You're right, I don't want it. I don't want to have anything to do with you. You can follow me as long as you like, but I'm not going back to see what you have for me. I've learned not to trust your presents," Sarah stepped around Jareth and started to make her way past him.

How could she act like this? He was trying so hard. What did he have to do to make her happy? Anger growing inside Jareth's hand shot out and grabbed Sarah by her sleeve.

"I've worked very hard on this special gift for you. It's not a trick, if I did want to trick you I would have already done so. But I haven't. Would you just comply with my request to come back to the castle for a minute or so?" Jareth said his voice dangerously low.

Sarah looked up into his mismatched eyes. Her eyebrow was furrowed and she looked like if she could kill him just by staring at him, she would.

"Only if I'm allowed to bring my friends," she said finally, still staring daggers into Jareth.

"One friend, but your choice," Jareth haggled.

Sarah thought for a moment. Jareth could see her weighing her options and for a moment he was sure that she could attempt to slip out of his grasp and run off into his kingdom.

"Fine, I choose Sir Didymus," Sarah said conceding to Jareth's will.

Jareth let go of Sarah's sleeve and instead offered his hand out to her, "Then we should find him," he waited for her to take his hand. While, he could shift them both through the labyrinth without touching, it was much harder and he was already tired from his earlier reshaping of the labyrinth.

Sarah eyed his hand, Jareth almost rolled his eyes in annoyance, must she be so suspicious of him all the time? "Why do I need to hold your hand?" she questioned, looking at Jareth's hand like it would bite her.

"So, that we can move through the labyrinth instantaneously to find your Sir Didymus, friend," he said getting tired of her questioning everything.

Sarah didn't say anything, but took Jareth's hand. Jareth shifted them through the labyrinth to the Bog of Eternal Stench where Sir Didymus still guarded his bridge.

"Eugh, he still lives here?" Sarah asked holding her arm in front of her face.

"Yes, he does, and I'm not to blame for I have invited him to work at my castle, but he won't leave this Bog." Jareth said suspecting Sarah would blame him for Sir Didymus' choice of living.

Sarah didn't respond to his comment. Instead she marched right up to Sir Didymus' post at the bridge.

"My Lady!" Sir Didymus cried with joy when he saw Sarah.

Sarah ran across the bridge and picked Sir Didymus up in a hug. "I've missed you so much," she said quietly as she hugged him. After a quick hug she set Sir Didymus back on the ground.

"What are you doing here, My Lady? We haven't seen you here in a long time!" Sir Didymus said pleased to see his friend, but a little hurt that she hadn't visited in a long time.

"I know, I'm sorry. I wasn't able to get into the labyrinth again. But now I'm back," Sarah said to her friend, feeling bad for making her friends think she had abandoned them.

Before this little chit-chat turned into a lengthy discussion and reunion, Jareth cleared his throat and stepped into view. "Sorry to interrupt, but aren't you forgetting why we came here Sarah?" he almost shook with impatience.

"No, I wasn't forgetting, I was just saying hello to my friend," Sarah replied quite curtly.

Ignoring Sarah's rude reply, Jareth turned to Sir Didymus, who had folded himself into a low bow. "We require your assistance, Sir Didymus, I have made a present for Sarah and she does not trust me. This is where we need your help, because she has requested a chaperon, of sorts," Jareth said to the still bowed Sir Didymus.

"Why, of course I'd be willing to help My Lady, Your Majesty," Sir Didymus replied eagerly.

"Good. I'm glad you'll help us," Jareth said as he shifted them back to his castle.

"I thought you had to be touching in order to do that," Sarah said accusingly. She glared at Jareth and she began to clench her fists.

Jareth cursed himself for his carelessness in his haste. "Sarah, I was tired earlier and I didn't have enough strength to concentrate on moving us without touching,"

"You lied to me, again!" Sarah said turning her back to leave.

"Sarah, come back here and talk rationally with me," Jareth said to Sarah's back as she stormed off.

Sarah ignored Jareth and kept walking, furious at him, when she had walked out of sight of Jareth and Sir Didymus; she turned a corner, only to find herself right back where she had started. Sarah's mouth dropped and she looked behind her. "What- but…"

Jareth shook his head at her. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Nothing ceases to amaze you, does it? I would have thought you knew by now that I have total control over my labyrinth,"

"Just leave me alone," Sarah said looking at Sir Didymus for help.

But Jareth beat her to the punch. "Sarah, you're not going to go back on your word are you? You said you would accompany me for me to give you your present if I got Sir Didymus for you. I did as you asked and now you're trying to walk away?"

Sir Didymus looked up at Sarah with wide eyes. "My Lady?" he asked hopefully, not wanting to believe Sarah wouldn't stay true to her word.

Sarah glared at Jareth. He knew how to twist his subject's heartstrings, that was for sure. "Fine, fine. I'll go with you then. But, after that, I am going off on my own and I don't want to hear from you any longer," she said conceding.

"As you wish," Jareth replied as he led the way around his castle, to where he had made Sarah's gift.


	6. A gift is given

The small group of Jareth, Sarah and Sir Didymus arrived at a wall. It was tall and extended so long that the end of it couldn't be made out, covered in climbing roses, a large wooden door stood in front of them.

Sarah glanced at Jareth. He didn't acknowledge her look, and moved towards the door.

"What is this?" Sarah asked.

"You'll see," Jareth said as he opened the door and stepped through the doorway.

Sarah looked at Sir Didymus and walked through the doorway with him. They found themselves in a huge garden. It was filled with all sorts of exotic and beautiful plants, and paved with a stone path. Off in the distance they could see a river which seemed to run through the whole garden.

Sarah looked around in awe. "Do you like it?" Jareth asked her.

"This is what you are giving me?" she asked her voice quiet.

"Almost, there is one more thing," Jareth said pulling out a crystal and offering it to her.

Sarah didn't move to take the crystal. She had a great deal of distrust for them. "It's perfectly safe, Sarah, take it," Jareth encouraged her.

Sarah bit her lip and picked up the crystal. Upon her touching it, the crystal melted and disappeared, appearing to dissolve into her body. "What!" she cried in alarm.

"Don't be frightened," Jareth said soothingly. "It has merely become part of you. You see that crystal has given you power over this garden, similar to the power I hold over the labyrinth. You may change and shape it however you like. You can keep host here, and if you so desire it, I cannot set foot in your, well, kingdom,"

Sarah didn't say anything but stood and changed the color of various plants, testing the power she held.

"What a beautiful gift, Your Majesty! I'm sure My Lady is very grateful," Sir Didymus said with much enthusiasm.

"Do you like it?" Jareth asked as Sarah had not said one thing since she learned what her whole gift was.

"Yes," Sarah said softly.

"It isn't quite as large as it looks, and it certainly is much smaller than my own kingdom, it actually wouldn't qualify as a kingdom in itself. But, you have total control over the land within these walls," Jareth said gesturing at the garden in front of them.

"Why?" Sarah said turning to look at him. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Why do you think Sarah?" Jareth answered Sarah's question with a question.

Sir Didymus seemed to sense that he wasn't needed any longer, or perhaps he had something to do, either way he spoke up saying, "My Lady, if you do not require me any longer, I think I shall leave,"

"Yes, thank you Sir Didymus," Sarah said turning from Jareth and Sir Didymus and making her way down the path to the river.

Sir Didymus bowed to Sarah's back and to Jareth and left the garden. After he had left, Jareth followed Sarah. They both walked in silence. When they reached the river Sarah looked towards a small boat that was waiting in the water, "Do you have any power here?" she asked casually.

"No," Jareth answered. "In these walls I am powerless; the crystal I gave you was all the power I held within these walls,"

Sarah turned and faced him. "You never answered my question, why are you giving me all of this?"

"Because Sarah, I want to show you that I am not as bad as you think," Jareth closed the distance between them and lightly put his hands on her upper arms. "I wanted you to know that I care for you,"

Sarah didn't move out of his light embrace. "I'm not a young girl full of dreams and fantasies of what the world could be like. I never did trust you when you offered me gifts before, if you remember, I don't know why you think it should be any different, especially now that I'm much older. I don't care for you like you want me to," she said softly.

"You will," Jareth said confidently leaning in to kiss her.

Sarah began to move backwards to evade his kiss. Jareth stopped his advancement but stayed leaning towards her. Sarah looked away from him, and bit her lip in quiet contemplation. Jareth straightened up and watched Sarah, cursing himself for trying to move things too fast and hoping that he hadn't just ruined his chances with her by being reckless.

An awkward silence fell over the pair. "Perhaps," Jareth said slowly trying to break the tension, "I could show you how to use the magic? It can be trickier than it seems. I could also instruct you as to how to use it without draining your energy too much,"

Sarah turned to him "Okay," she said simply as she walked over the small boat sitting in the river and got inside. Jareth followed suit and they floated down the river.

"I suppose I should start with some basics," Jareth said pensively.

"Like what?" Sarah asked as she looked out across the water, noticing that the boat was approaching an island in the river that made her think of a big hill, rather than an island.

"Moving things would be a good start," Jareth said grabbing the paddles that were inside the boat and beginning to row the last distance between them and the island.

"How long will this take? I had thought to explore here before it got dark," Sarah asked looking up at the sky for signs of it getting dark.

Jareth laughed "Oh, Sarah, it will take much longer than a day to teach you everything you need to know. But I will stop my lessons early enough today for you to explore my gift," his shoulders began to hurt from the rowing, while he was in good physical shape he usually relied on his magic to perform such tasks for him. It had been a long time since he had done anything like rowing. But he squared his jaw and muddled through, not wanting to show any signs of weakness to Sarah.

The boat eased gently next to the dock attached to the island. Jareth and Sarah exited the boat and tied the boat up to the dock. They then began to walk up the stone steps in front of them. The steps wound around the island, stopping at the top.

**Note: **Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. It was so hard to write for some reason. Also, it is a bit short, but that's because I want to at this point cut to Sarah's point of view and it would work better for me if I did that in another chapter. Hopefully this one will be an easy write. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts. It is very encouraging and I thank you for even bothering to read my story, let alone like it.


	7. Deception

Sarah walked slowly up the steps. She was deep in thought. Everything had started happening so fast, already he was lavishing her with gifts and making advances. She wondered if she should have let Jareth kiss her. Sarah stomped on those thoughts immediately. She was just here because of her friends, and no other reason. She had to remind herself of this often. Especially when Jareth paid extra attention to her. It was hard for her to peel her gaze away from him at times.

Sarah shook her head at these thoughts. She shouldn't think of him this way. An enemy, and a threat, yes, a pawn, perhaps, any sort of love interest? Absolutely not! The very thought was grotesque, he was so much older than her, he was a grown man when she was barely a teenager. He may not have looked like he had aged but there was no denying that he was much older than her.

Her thoughts turned to the idea that had been creeping in the back of her mind since she even thought of coming to the labyrinth. If she could usurp Jareth, she could use the magic to her advantage at home; she wouldn't have to rely on his kindness to see her friends or to return to the labyrinth. She could even use it to make some situations at home better. It wouldn't be that hard if she got the help of some goblins that disliked Jareth. Sarah was sure there had to be a good number of those. She looked at Jareth's back quizzically. Maybe, just maybe, she could, it could be easy if she did it right. Perhaps she shouldn't be so cold to him, so as to put up a façade, maybe he wouldn't even suspect her plan if she pretended to not hate him.

No, it wasn't a good idea. She shouldn't jeopardize her situation here. Jareth would surely throw her into the deepest, darkest oubliette he could find. Unless… no, these speculations and plots were useless. There was no way that Sarah could match Jareth in strength. Not only physically, but mentally, and magically, not to mention that his army would be far bigger than anything she could ever come up with. She had beaten him once, but that didn't mean she could do it again.

But, supposing that she was able to fool him into thinking she had feelings back, she could hurt him enough that if he did beat her, she would be let free because she had broken his heart and he was too weak to hurt her too. It could work, she could have Sir Didymus and Hoggle spread the information and have secret meetings right here, under his nose, after all, she could keep him out if she wanted.

But how would she fool Jareth? She contemplated this as they reached the top of the island-hill and she sat down on a bench. Jareth began to instruct her in how to move things. Sarah only half-listened, absorbed mostly in her own thoughts, so her attempts at moving rocks failed miserably.

Jareth looked at her with his eerily lovely, mismatched eyes, "Sarah, are you even trying? You've got to want to do this," he said in disappointment as she failed another time to move a rock.

'It's now or never,' Sarah thought to herself as she got up from her seat, "I- I know, I do want to learn, I really do, but I can't concentrate, I keep thinking," Sarah said taking a step towards Jareth.

"You have to clear your mind then, if your thoughts are so distracting," Jareth said with no visible change of emotion.

"I can't, I keep thinking of you," Sarah said as she drew herself closer to Jareth.

Sarah began to feel bad that she had started this as she saw his face light up. It was subtle but still there. How could she be doing this, toying with his feelings, fully knowing that he cared for her so much? But it was too late to go back now, Sarah had to continue.

"Have you really Sarah? Have you finally gotten past your distrust of me?" Jareth said placing his hand gently on her cheek and looking into her eyes.

Sarah tried to tell herself to tell the truth, to get out of this. But his eyes pulled her in, they were so eerily beautiful she couldn't stop herself from saying yes.

As before, Jareth leaned in towards Sarah, for a kiss. But this time Sarah didn't move, instead she moved to meet his lips.

It wasn't like any kiss Sarah had every experienced, and she had kissed her fair share of men. It sent chills up and down her spine. The world seemed to disappear and all that Sarah was aware of was him and his kiss. She felt herself melt into his arms as the kiss continued.

Slowly after what seemed like a lifetime they ended their kiss. Sarah mentally shook her head to clear it. Her thoughts were fuzzy and for a second she thought she could actually be returning Jareth's feelings. This very idea was of course ridiculous, but yet she had been having this feeling so often. Sarah smiled at Jareth to keep the charade going. "I think I can pay attention to those magic lessons now," she said shyly.

As they went back to the magic lessons Sarah began to feel guilty. But filled with warmth after the kiss, although she convinced herself it was from something entirely different.


	8. Prophesy

Jareth could hardly bare to teach Sarah about magic without touching her. She had improved her concentration problem after they had kissed. A kiss that stayed warm on Jareth's lips. He would occasionally, and subtlety, touch Sarah's hand lightly just to be in contact with her. Just that, was enough to make Jareth want to pull her into his arms again. After a while he left Sarah's garden, on his own, she wanted to practice using magic and explore on her own. And, even though he didn't want to leave her side ever, Jareth respected her wishes and left her. He returned to his castle and sat down in his throne. He felt content and happy. He was a little surprised that it was that easy to convince Sarah of his sincerity and to make her trust him, but he didn't question it. All he cared about was that she finally cared for him too.

The labyrinth had a few goblins that read. It wasn't that they couldn't, but most did not see a point to it. And try getting a goblin to sit still long enough to read a sentence, let alone a whole book. The few goblins that found reading a worthwhile activity became library goblins. They were in charge of the labyrinth's library, which was located in the Goblin City's center. The only visitors they got were Jareth and inhabitants of the labyrinth wishing to learn how to lift or place a curse. Sometimes there would be the occasional recreational trip, but usually no one came in unless they needed to. So, to pass the time they spent in the library, library goblins would spend their time reading through the prophesy books. Every prophesy that had been made in the labyrinth had been recorded in large tomes. The library goblins spent many hours trying to see which ones had come true, which ones were relevant to any current situations and which ones were in a different language and needed to be translated. The prophesies were sorted daily Jareth to inspect at the front desk. If a prophesy was found that a library goblin found especially important, they would deliver it to Jareth personally, per his request.  
All of the labyrinth knew of Sarah's return by now, and most suspected her to be made queen soon. Why else would a mortal, who had not wished someone away, be in the labyrinth? With all this in mind the goblins in the library searched their tomes for prophesies about queens. They had made a pile of all the prophesies and were busy sorting through them.  
Most of the prophesies about queens were very general, having babies and being beautiful were common themes. The ones that were different than the regular ones were put into Jareth's book for him to read. As the library goblins were sorting one prophesy caught their eyes.  
"This should be shown to Jareth right away!" one library goblin said. The other goblins agreed that this was something that needed Jareth's immediate attention.

The library goblin that had been chosen as the messenger approached Jareth's throne and bowed.  
"We have found a prophesy that we feel you should read, your majesty," the library goblin bowed again and held the prophesy out for Jareth to take.  
Jareth let a smile form on his face, he was fond of the library goblins and he tended to treat them with more respect that the other goblins. It was mostly the fact that they were not afraid of delivering bad news and never skirted around the question. "Thank you, I will read it immediately," Jareth said taking the prophesy.  
The library goblin stood where he was, waiting for the prophesy to be returned back into his hands so that he could return it to its proper tome.

Jareth's light smirk faded as he read the prophesy.

Once already she defeated  
Our great King – in this kingdom,  
She has a plan, which must not be completed,  
On which side holds wisdom?  
Not of faerie but mortal blood,  
Is she who would destroy the throne,  
To become our queen she would stain with mud  
The home of our king – make it her own.  
However, should the king win her heart  
Great happiness and peace will overcome our land.  
To win such stone is no small part.  
Such Joy! Such fertile land! If she would accept his hand.  
Beware! For if her trust shall not be won,  
We goblins will be doomed, every one.

Jareth eyes flamed as he turned on the small library goblin. "And what makes you think this applies?" he snarled. Not wanting to think this could be true, that the library goblins were joking, something.

"Well, Sire… She's mortal, and she has defeated you once… Like, like it says…" The library goblin fidgeted, obviously not used to Jareth's rage being turned onto himself, nor indeed expecting his rage.

Jareth narrowed his eyes. And re-read the paper he had been clenching. The library goblin was correct; it did have several key elements that seemed to indicate that this prophesy could at some point become true. Jareth grit his teeth, trying not to think about it. He handed the prophesy back to the library goblin and excused him, and all the goblins from his throne room. He needed time alone.

He sat slumped in his throne and tried to think what this prophesy could mean. Obviously, the main idea was what he had thought himself the whole time that he needed to make Sarah his Queen. But if he didn't win here heart? Would she really betray him, and try to take the throne for herself? Jareth doubted that she was capable of that sort of thing, besides, how could she find any way to take his throne, she had no assets. Except, a little voice in his head said, what you just gave to her today.

Jareth shook his head, trying to clear his doubts that way. A silly piece of paper could not dictate the future for him. He was the Goblin King. He would make his own future.

Sarah sat in her garden, besides her stood Hoggle, who looked a tiny bit uncomfortable.

"Hoggle, I need you, Sir Didymus, and whoever else, to gather up all the goblins that do not like Jareth. I need their help," she looked up absent-mindedly at the castle that loomed in the distance.

"But, Sarah, if Jareth hears of what you're doing… You could be in real danger," Hoggle tried to reason with Sarah.

"That's why you have to be careful to talk to the right people, Hoggle. And don't worry about me, I can handle Jareth," she replied as confidently as she could.

"What about your friends, Sarah? Can they handle him?" he muttered as he walked away from Sarah.

Sarah laid down on the grass and looked at the clouds in the sky. Was she making the right decision? She bit her lip, and turned her gaze towards the castle again. Perhaps, she should just enjoy her time here? Her mind wandered back to the memory of Jareth's kiss. It had been quite wonderful. But, could she trust him?

She had to make plans of her own incase she couldn't trust him, to be sure. 


	9. Peace ?

Jareth paced back and forth in his throne room. His gaze shifted towards the window overlooking the labyrinth.

Sarah hadn't emerged from her garden yet, and Jareth felt he was imagining things, but it seemed that several goblins were making their way through the labyrinth towards Sarah's garden. At this moment, Jareth began to regret that he had given up all his power in her garden. What he wouldn't give to know what she was up to right now.

He turned and sat down in his throne, trying to rationalize with himself. Alright, so goblins seemed to be heading towards Sarah's garden. Perhaps they were curious? Maybe she made more friends than Jareth thought. There were more options than the ridiculous idea that she was rallying an army to oppose Jareth. The idea made him laugh out loud.

A goblin knocked softly on the door to his throne room. "Yes?" Jareth called, inviting the goblin to open the door and state its business.

"Does Your Majesty still want dinner?" the poor goblin squeaked, afraid of a Jareth that had locked himself up for several hours.

"Ah, yes. Dinner. How soon can it be ready?" he asked the goblin.

"Ten minutes?" the goblin said, proposing a question to the king hoping it would suit his needs.

"That sounds wonderful. Have a servant sent down to Sarah's garden and ask her to join me for dinner," he dismissed the goblin and looked up at the ceiling of his throne room. He was sure that if he could just see Sarah that all doubts would be erased from his mind.

Jareth paced his throne room several times before going down to the dining hall. To his delight Sarah was already sitting at the table, waiting for him. He shook his head to get rid of his worries, how could this wonderful human sitting at his dining hall table be plotting against him? She was the definition of perfection in Jareth's eyes and he could not think a bad thought about her, seeing her seated so calmly at his table.

"Have a nice day in your garden?" Jareth asked casually as he sat down at his chair.

"Yes, thank you again, it's quite a lovely gift," Sarah blushed slightly and turned her head towards the door in anticipation for food.

"Don't mention it Sarah, it's my little peace offering to you," Jareth eyed her as the food was brought in by goblins.

Sarah smiled and their attention was momentarily taken from each other to the goblins serving them food. As much as Jareth tried to teach them otherwise, goblins were sloppy by nature and tended to drop food in your lap if you did not keep constant watch on them.

Jareth was thinking of another conversation piece while being served and was about to try to strike up another conversation when Sarah surprised him and broke the silence.

"I hope you won't feel the need to present me with anymore 'peace offerings'," She smiled slyly at Jareth and watched his reaction over the rim of her goblet.

"What makes you say that? Was it too grand?" Jareth raised an eyebrow, trying to fully comprehend what Sarah was trying so very hard to imply.

"Well, no, it is rather nice. It's just, well- what I am trying to say is that… there is not any need for more offerings of peace," Sarah bit her lip and furrowed her brows as she tried to get her meaning across.

"Are you saying Sarah that you are willing to forget past wrongs and be on friendly terms?" He tried not to let his excitement overly show, inside he was jumping for joy, but he kept his cool as best as he could, letting large smiles escape his control.

"Mmm, not necessarily forget, but try not to dwell on the past so very much. But, I would like to on friendly terms with you Jareth, I want to try to be friends and to get to know each other better," Sarah smiled widely at Jareth, a smile that warmed Jareth to the bone to see.

"Thank you Sarah," Jareth quietly said. He would have said more, but he couldn't begin to think of where to start.

Jareth and Sarah finished their dinner in peaceful silence. After dinner Sarah excused herself to go to her room, agreeing to consider Jareth's offer to meet him in his throne room a little later.

Jareth found himself pacing in his throne room again. He hoped that Sarah would at least send down a message if she could not meet him. He felt much better after their small dinner conversation, and after being able to see her. Jareth had thought long and hard about the prophesy that had been delivered to him. He decided not to linger over it, and that he should go ahead with acting as he would have had he never read it. From his experience prophesies tended to muck things up more than help determine the future.

Jareth had turned towards the window to look out at the Goblin City, when he heard the door open. He turned quickly and immediately lit up when he saw Sarah enter the room. He crossed to meet her.

"I'm so glad you decided to come down, Sarah," He said sincerely.

"So am I," Sarah smiled "What did you have in mind to do when you asked to meet?" she inquired.

"I was hoping you might be interesting in visiting the Goblin City library. It has all the books in my kingdom inside, I know you like to read so I thought it might be an entertaining place for me to show you," Jareth explained.

"I think that sounds wonderful," Sarah enthusiastically agreed to the idea.

Jareth offered his arm, which Sarah took, and led her out of his palace and towards the Goblin City library.


	10. Seeds of revolution

Sarah sat on her own by the lake in her garden. She lazily let her hand dangle in the water, swishing it back and forth. Her thoughts lingered on this evening's visit to the Goblin City library.

The visit had been quite pleasant, if Sarah forgot about the library goblins. The goblins stared at her like they knew something about her. She tried to ignore them, but their constant staring was too creepy to ignore. Jareth hadn't seemed to notice any strange behavior in the library goblins. Goblins aside, the library was impressive; it was larger than any other library Sarah had ever seen. Sarah had planned to return to the library and explore the history section, so that she may learn more about the labyrinth.

Sarah slowly sat up, feeling her power over the land she was standing on. She could feel the push of Jareth's labyrinth on the walls of her garden. Expanding her powers past the walls seemed to be impossible to Sarah. But she knew that there were goblins that felt otherwise. Sarah recalled what some had said during her meeting earlier.

"A small crack in one of the walls should start it." a small goblin with large glasses had said.

"Yes, but it must be of a certain size, it cannot be too big or too little, just the right size to let Jareth's power start to slowly become yours," another goblin replied.

"How slowly?" Sarah asked.

"Slow enough that the Goblin King will not notice, but fast enough that your power soon rival his," the second goblin answered.

"But how much good will that do me if I can only use magic in these walls?" Sarah asked these two goblins, who were the most knowledgeable in magic.

"That's the beauty of the crack," the goblin with glasses spoke up again, "with a crack in the wall the magic will be able to flow and you can use your magic outside of these walls,"

"Are you sure that's all it will take? A crack?" Sarah asked them doubtfully.

"And practice, you must practice trying to use your magic, both inside and once the crack is made, outside,"

Sarah recalled how those were the most helpful goblins that had attended the meeting she had called. Others had shown up to voice their dislike of Jareth, but they did not have many good suggestions. Fortunately there was work for them. The two goblins had divided up labor, some were to find books about the magic of the labyrinth and bring them to them, so that they may calculate the size of the crack. While others were sent to practice making precise cracks into rocks, because no mistakes could be made on this endeavor.

Sarah's garden was quite now, the goblins had long dispersed and left her with her own thoughts. How fast was she taking this? Her brain kept telling her to slow down and think things through, but it was too late. Sarah had been swept up in a current of revolution. Now she could not back down, she had to bring down the Goblin King. After all what could she do to change it, say "Sorry everyone, but I think we started too fast, let's just forget about this whole thing"? No, even if Sarah moved down from her position of leadership, this revolution would happen anyways, the goblins were ready for a change. And Sarah was going to be that change, whether she liked it or not.

Sarah slowly moved from her spot on the grass and made her way towards the castle. Even if she was leading a revolution against him, she still had to pretend for a while to be compliant to the Goblin King. She would stay in his castle and be his guest, until the day her powers become more powerful than his.

* * *

**NOTE: **It has been over a year since I updated this. Hope you haven't given up on me yet. I've been caught up with college and such. I don't see it getting any better, but I really do want to have the story finished.


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